Drive for LoVeexe
by bruhnea
Summary: A rhack modern/slightly futuristic au
1. Chapter 1

It had all started with a simple grin. That stupid, arrogant grin of Jack's. Handsome. Fucking. Jack.

Had Rhys known what was going to happen, he more than likely would have tried to skip town, or just leave the state altogether. And yet, he had been willed to stay.

"Handsome" Jack O'Connell was the infamous CEO of the _Hyperion_ company after the last CEO had just seemed to… die. Of unknown causes other than the theorized heart attack (which, honestly, no one really cared since the guy was like a hundred and a huge, narcisstic asshole). Jack took office, and things had definitely changed. For the better, or worse, Rhys was still unsure.

The pros of having Jack as the CEO meant the man expanded the company all over the globe, from Tanzania to god damn Vancouver. But, that also meant the whole company changed due to the new locations.

See, originally, _Hyperion_ had only been an engineering company, helping technology advance and help the third world countries develop to be decent. But now, _Hyperion_ was mass-producing weapons, out-sourcing all the popular weapon brands out there. Hell, even Dahl, the recent number one had been surpassed tenfold by _Hyperion_. All because the weapons were better, cheaper and a hell of a lot more powerful.

Jack was at the top of it all. The man even owned the best science program in the world, _Atlas_. How the man had managed the get his paws on the certificate of ownership was beyond anyone, but no one bothered to question him, since it seemed that any man or woman that questioned him, or even _looked_ wrongly at him, that employee would mysteriously disappear. Rhys liked to think they were just fired, and he _really_ hoped he was right.

Now, Rhys was just a normal intern. Started working a few years after Jack had taken the reigns of the company. He had to say, he never saw the man in person. Only in magazines, talk shows, news and the occasional online papparazzi picture. The CEO seemed to spend most of his time in meetings, his office, or in the engineering labs (rumor has it that the guy was actually an engineer before becoming CEO, but it seemed so long ago that no one thought it was the truth anymore).

So yeah, Rhys had been working a few years after, however he's been working for about five years total, being at the age of twenty-eight. His best friend was an accountant for the same company, though the only time they could really talk and hang out was after work hours, or during lunch breaks. But, Vaughn was pretty cool about it. They liked to complain about work every now and then (even though Rhys had been jobless for a good while, and was more grateful for the job than anything).

Though, it seemed that fate had some other plan than for him to just live his life as that one-armed intern from Western New York.

See, it had begun when he was called into the office of a coworker, who told him they needed a subject to test some new technology. Something about the brain being a computer or something.

"It would be double the pay." And that was all it took for Rhys to agree and take the paperwork home to fill out.


	2. Chapter 2

"Er.. Hello..?"

Rhys looked to the dark hallway, a bit tense. He had been told to go down to the labs, but he had never been there, and definitely not so early in the morning (it wasn't even five yet).

The hallways were dark due to the lights being off, though the glow through the cracks of some double-doors caught his attention, and with his left arm hugging the packets of paperwork he signed and filled out, he made his way down, his shoes clacking unomfortably loud against the tiled floor.

Then, he was at the doors. Two little windows exposed what was within, and the man was rather surprised at the amount of people working, seeing them bustle about. Some were testing machinery, some were going over calculations, however many seemed to be huddled around one particular engineer.

Rhys nearly shat himself when he saw him. Jack.

Jack was grinning ear-to-ear, talking and gesturing towards something beside him, something other scientists were blocking. And because Jack was tall and facing the door, Rhys was quick to be discovered. Jack's grin only seemed to broaden.

Flustered, Rhys ducked under the window, eyes wide and cheeks hot. Shit. Shit! He hadn't expected to get to meet _the_ Jack O'Connell.

The male jumped as one of the doors opened, and he straightened quickly, gaze looking right into the mismatched eyes of his boss. His jaw seemed to drop, and he quickly averted his gaze.

"S-Sir I um- I didn't know you were- I c-came to bring these-"

"Alright, alright. Jesus cupcake, you don't gotta crap yourself." The man's laugh was heard, and Rhys only seemed to grow a bit more red, looking to his boss properly now.

"Name?"

"U-Uh.. Rhys, sir.."

"... Is that what you're going to wear for the surgery?" Jack seemed to judge, though Rhys really couldn't blame him, considering he had been tired as all hell and in a rush. He was in dark sweatpants and a sweater, and Rhys just nodded meekly.

"Right… well c'mon. Everyone's waitin' to get started. Gotta drill that hole in your head at some point." Jack mused, turning on his heel and pushing both doors open. The thin man blinked, before quickly scurrying after him.

"W-Wait _what_? You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking.."

Jack only seemed to glance back with that grin, and Rhys just nearly felt his heart stop. Suddenly, he didn't really care _what_ Jack did to him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright, I assume you read what's gonna be goin' on while you're in a medicated coma?"

Jack began, arms crossed as Rhys sat, shirtless on some sort of operating table. The man felt cold, nervous about the way Jack was looking at him, but he shook his head.

"Not really.. I heard "increased pay" and that was it." The CEO only sighed and shook his head, eyes running over the tattoo that covered the employee's left arm, before looking to the scarred skin of where his right arm used to be.

"Alright, then I guess I'll have to explain it."

Jack went to grab a chair, sitting on it with his front facing the back, arms crossing on the back of the chair.

"So. The human brain is a whole mess of things. Emotions, thoughts, organ function, nerves, you name it, the brain probably does it, or at least runs it in the body. Stores information, even information you probably don't even realize. Like a car's license, or someone sneaking something to someone else out of the corner of your eye. Hell, you've probably seen someone give a public blow-"

"Okay, okay. Point?"

"Right, yeah. The brain, in short, is like a friggin' computer. Carries energy, stores information, and can even command just like one. The brain is a powerful thing, and we're tryin' to make it better. Which means you, my friend, get to take part in this freakin' awesome experiement."

Jack turned his head as a large table is wheeled in, holding a cybernetic arm, and various other things.

"However to make this work, we'll have to install a sort of motherboard into your head, and port, an interface, and some cool spyware that'll help you analyze like that of a computer. Which means taking out one of your eyes. Any particular one you favor?"

"Er.. no?"

What was Rhys supposed to say? He was gaining an arm, but losing an eye, and probably other things. He didn't know what to think yet, but he was terrified. What if they poke the wrong place in his head and end up making him a vegetable? He was trying hard not to show his nerves, so he swallowed thickly.

"U-Um.. take out my left eye..?"

Jack grinned as he looked to the kid, raising a brow.

"Doin' okay?" He chuckled some. "Don't worry, cupcake. It'll be over before ya know it. Ah but, I would advise stayin' away from water for a bit. Take sponge baths and maybe visit salons to get your hair washed. At least until we make the thing waterproof and get you a plug for the port."

Jack stood and kicked the chair away, Rhys wincing as it skids rather loudly. By now, he was hooked up to all sorts of tubes, and he watched as a nurse marked up his right shoulder and the left half of his face. He was already regretting things. But.. it was too late.

"Alright. Time to get started. Lay down and try to not move too much, okay?"

Rhys stayed quiet as he nods, bringing his legs up on the table and laying back carefully. He swallowed thickly as a needle was inserted to the IV tube, and a clear liquid was slowly pushed into the vein.

"Good. Now… Sleep tight. If you survive this, I'll take you to dinner." The older man leaned over the thinner male with a hum, sending a wink as he gives that grin of his.

"Sounds… Sounds good.." Rhys could feel himself growing tired, drowsy. His eyelids were growing heavy, and his body felt paralyzed.

And soon, everything was black.


	4. Chapter 4

When Rhys first woke up, he felt sick. As if his stomach was about to turn inside out. His mouth was dry, his head hurt like hell, and his whole right side felt like a dead weight.

Brows furrowing, he blinked his eye open- Wait, eye? Where was- oh right. The room was brighter than he remembered, and his eye was squinted as he looked around at the ceiling briefly, before he slowly moved to push himself up, grunting.

He had this headache the size of the moon, and his right shoulder felt practically numb. But even through the loss of feeling, he could feel the weight as he sat up. Huffing, he rubs at his forehead, before he feels the bandage. Feeling with his fingers, he finds that there is a bandage over his left eye and left temple. Judging by the slight texture difference, there was dried blood as well.

He turned his head slowly to look to his right shoulder.

Holy crap there was an arm. Which looked pretty awesome! It was black and yellow (expected for the _Hyperion_ colors), and also dead. He couldn't move it, but he could tell that it wasn't just on his shoulder. No, it was _in_ his shoulder.

A door opened, and Rhys whipped his head to look around, until his eyes landed on Jack, who was looking down at some kind of clipboard.

"Yeah these numbers are fine, just make sure they don't go down, yeah? Next time I won't hesitate to-" The man stopped as he saw Rhys sitting up, promptly thrusting the clipboard into the chest of a scientist behind him. "Go.. Go take care of this crap, 'kay?"

Jack looked to the stranger with a stern glare, and the scientist nodded quickly, hurrying off. Soon, the man was putting on a bright grin, looking back to the thinner man.

"Hey, Rhysie! How d'ya feel? Probably like crap, huh? Heh, I did too when I had this puppy installed." Jack reached up and lighly tapped his left temple, winking his left eye. Now that he realized it, Rhys could just barely see the slight pupil change as he came closer.

"Is your eye-" Rhys was cut off with a glass of water being handed to him, one Jack had taken from the bedside table the man was just noticing. He takes it, and chugs the water eager. The CEO, however, nodded.

"Yeah. Faux eye, kinda like your new one, but this one just helps me see. Got into an accident a few years back. Lost my eye, gained some nasty but badass scars, and um.. Lost somethin' else." The man cleared his throat a bit, and Rhys just barely noticed the slight change in the man's gaze.

It's a bit quiet for a moment, uncomfortably so.

"Uh.. thanks. For the water." Rhys speaks up after a small moment, looking to the chrome metal cup. The bed suddenly dips, and the man is looking up to see Jack leaning close. This catches the other by surprise, and he jolts back.

"Hey- Get back here. I want to check somethin'." Jack rolled his eyes and reached his hands to gently unwrap the bandage over Rhys' eye. "You've been out for a couple days. Some guy asked about ya. Vincent or somethin'-"

"Vaughn."

"Right, him. Told him that you were on a business trip. Gonna get a kick outta this, lemme tell ya." Jack laugh some, sliding the bandage off and letting it drop to Rhys' lap. Soon the man is reaching into a pocket and pulling out some kind of drive, raising it up to Rhys' right temple.

"'M gonna turn you on now, alright? Try to not pass out." The CEO's voice was almost actually concerned, and Rhys couldn't breathe as the man pressed close, carefully pressing the drive into the port (god it felt so weird).

Rhys felt this weird buzz, before it fades, and he's blinking rapidly, his left eye stinging as it seemed to come to life. It hurt like hell, that was for sure, but hopefully it was only a one-time thing. Before he can do much, however, a warm palm is capturing his cheek and raising his head. The man is stock-still, eyes wide and cheeks red as Jack gently pulled down his lower lid, gazing at his new eye. Through this new eye, everything was much more… clear, he supposed. He could see the differed shades of blue in Jack's real eye, the slight digital look of his faux green one. He could notice a slight collection of… foundation? By Jack's nose?

"What-"

"Could ya let go of my wrist?" Jack asked, eyebrow raised as his hand retreats. Rhys was confused, and looked down to see his new arm gripping at the man's wrist. Quickly he let go and jolts his arm back. Which only causes him to slam it into the headboard of the hospital bed.

"Shit-" He whips it back forward in shock and accidentally nearly punches Jack. Nearly, because the man was quick enough to grab Rhys' rogue arm and stop it.

" _Relax_ , kiddo." Rhys is shaking a bit, the glass he had held only seconds before now on the floor, and Jack is bringing the arm in front of him. "I might have to recalibrate it… Seems to be a bit too sensitive with movement." Soon, the older man is mumbling, popping a cover off with ease and digging through with his fingers.

The younger man was so shocked, however seeing Jack get lost in trying to figure out what was wrong made him relax slowly. Jack looked so attractive when focused on something, and suddenly Rhys is feeling his heart flutter and his stomach twisting, watching as the other fidgets with his arm.

He wanted to reach up and touch the man's hair, mess up its style, feel how soft it is, see how many grey hairs the man had. But before Rhys can even think of anything more fantasies, Jack was popping the cover back on the letting his arm go, grinning.

"There, you should be all good."

Rhys looked to his new arm, slowly turning the palm upwards and flexing the fingers.

"Now you won't be feelin' anything til the meds wear off, but there are some pressure sensors so you don't end up squeezin' anything too hard. Like a kitten or someone's hand." The man stood, tugging the drive from Rhys' port without any warning and stuffing it into his pocket.

"You'll get a couple days off to get used to the arm, but once you're back you'll be goin' through some tests and stuff, to test that new tech. So.. have fun, kiddo." A pat was placed to Rhys' shoulder before Jack was walking towards the door. "I'll get you a ride." And with that, Jack disappeared through the other side.

Well… Rhys already wanted to see him again.

Shit.

Rhys officially had a crush.


	5. Chapter 5

"Alright. First things first. Vitals. We're gonna make you work out. Lift weights, use a punching bag, make ya run-"

"What does running have to do with my hand-eye coordination?"

"... Kiddo we're testing ya to see if this whole thing has any negative impacts on your health. We gotta see what stress does. We can't have you short-circuiting and literally frying your brain. Just ain't happening. You're the first guy to have this sort of thing- well, the whole uh.. _arm_ aspect, anyways."

Jack waved vaguely to Rhys' arm, and he looks down at it, lifting his arm. For the few days he's been off, he's been getting used to having his arm back. Feeling the pressure through the use of circuits and his nerves. He's also been getting used to his new eye, the way he could weirdly zoom in on things if he focuses on it for a while, or how he could get minimal information off of objects based on what he knew. He found that out when he looked at Dumpy, and go a whole little profile off of him. One of the notes had said 'Snuggly, loves kisses', and he'd grown embarrassed. Even though he was the only person able to see them.

"So.. it'll be like going through gym class all over again." He'd grumbled, and Jack only seemed to snort.

"Only if your gym class hooked you up to all sorts of machines and took down every little piece of information your body says, then yeah. Exactly like gym. Lacking the neat dodge-ball tournaments, anyways. Actually, that's a good test. Test your reflexes. Screw it, I'm addin' it to the list of tests."

Rhys only groaned, his head rolling some. He _hated_ dodgeball. He'd always get picked last based solely on the fact he was a spindly teen, and always went home with black eyes and bruises up the wazoo.

And then he was thrust into the world of exercise, something he's always hated since early in his life. First was lifting weights. He'd start out with smaller ones, before steadily adding weight. Turns out that with his arm, he could bench over a hundred pounds with the one arm. Then was chin-ups, sit ups, jogging on a treadmill while hooked up to a weird breathing machine, pushups on both hands _and_ one hand, and then the dodgeball.

All in all, he was exhausted, and sweating up a damn _storm_.

"I… don't see…. why all of that… was so necessary.." He pants out, doubled over, his brown hair sticking to his forehead. Jack was looking over something on a clipboard, tossing over a water bottle that his hand immediately shot up to catch. He straightens and makes his way over, chugging down about half the water as Jack began to speak.

"Again, testing your vitals, your limits, all sorts of shit. Well, it seems you're pretty healthy."

" _And sexy._ "

Rhys blinks, nearly choking on his water before looking to the man.

"Excuse me?"

Jack looks over in slight confusion.

"What is it, kiddo?" He asked, raising a questioning brow. Rhys blinks, jaw agape, stuttering for a good moment, before he sighs heavily and shakes his head.

"Nothing, nothing. Nevermind. Don't worry about it." Great. Now he's hearing things. Maybe this was bad for his mental health? No clue, but there was probably going to be mentality tests. At least it wouldn't be so physically exhausting.

Hopefully, anyways. There really wasn't a way of knowing by this point.


End file.
